John Angelo Hansen

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John Hansen
Personal information
Full name	John Angelo Valdemar Østergaard Hansen
Date of birth	June 24, 1924
Place of birth	Copenhagen, Denmark
Date of death	January 12, 1990 (aged 65)
Place of death	Copenhagen, Denmark
Height	1.87 m.
Playing position	Left inside forward
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1943-1948 1948-1954 1954-1955 1955-1960	Boldklubben Frem Juventus FC S.S. Lazio Boldklubben Frem	071 0(84) 187 (124) 027 0(15) 043 0(29)
National team
1947 1948	Denmark U23 Denmark	001 00(1) 008 0(10)
Teams managed
1956-1957 1969	Boldklubben Frem Denmark
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

John Angelo Valdemar Østergaard Hansen (June 24, 1924 – January 12, 1990) was a Danish footballer who won a bronze medal with the Denmark national football team at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. Hansen played professionally in the Italian Serie A championship for seven years, scoring 139 goals in 214 matches for Italian clubs Juventus FC and SS Lazio.

An inside wing who played for Frem BK, he enjoyed a Scandinavian-only prestige until he played in 1948 London Olympic Games, which made his name well-known across Europe. On that tournament Denmark sent Italy packing with 5 goals, 4 of them were scored by John Hansen, a consummated header.

He drew the attention of several Italian teams desperate to bring foreign talent. Frem BK's president at the time almost had him sold sold to Torino when he got a call from a Director at Nordisk FIAT Copenhagen, referred by Gianni Agnelli (head of Juventus) who desperately wanted him for his bianconeri. He promptly signed a 3 year contract with them on 16 November 1948 and made his debut three days later against Bari. His first season didn't start well for a tall and strong man not used to work on defense, and after 12 games the Italian national team coach was called just to verify that he was the same player who had scored the 4 goals against them ah the Olympics.

For his second season, Jesse Carver replaced the fellow Englishman Chalmers as head coach and a less rigid and physically demanding training schedule paid off for him. That year Juventus got crowned and Hansen scored 28 goals. On hat 49-50 squad, we would had an irreplaceable partner in Karl Praest, another Danish player, and a very good one. A left winger with electric dribbling skills who scattered opponents through the field and produced precise crosses to Hansen, who netted them thanks to his violent and precise header. He is still recognized as one of the all-time best when it came to head the ball into the net.

They were joined by another Dane, NT Captain Karl Hansen, who later on would play for Atalanta. The great level of understanding of those three great Danes made John Hansen feel as if he could play with his eyes closed, showing all of his skills. Not the kind of player to be present at every moment during a game, he was a very prolific goal scorer, not too fast but definitely very smart at the moment of getting unmarked and losing his defender, and an incredible feeling to be at the right spot on the right moment.

He spent 6 seasons at Juventus, won two Championships and scored 124 goals in 187 games. In 1951-52 his 30 goals earned him the "capocanoniere" (marksman) title. Later, he moved to Lazio where he played for one season scoring 15 more seasons, addind a total of 139 for his Italian adventure.

In 1984, Hansen received the Italian order of chivalry.

[edit] Honours

Olympic medal record
Men's Football
Bronze	London 1948	Team Competition

Individual

• Danish 1st Division Top Goalscorer: 1947-48
• Italian Serie A Top Goalscorer: 1951-52

Team

• Danish football championship: 1943-44 with Frem
• Italian Serie A Championships: 1949-50 and 1951-52 with Juventus

[edit] External links

• Danish national team profile
• (Danish) Boldklubben Frem profile
• RSSSF - Danish players in Italy

Sporting positions
Preceded by Gunnar Nordahl	Serie A Top Scorer 1951-52	Succeeded by Gunnar Nordahl

v • d • e Boldklubben Frem – Managers Johansen (1940–43) · Jørgensen (1943–45) · Mountford (1945–52) · Nielsen (1952–56) · J. Hansen (1956–57) · Frederiksen (1958) · Nielsen (1959–60) · Pilmark (1961) · C. Hansen (1962) · E. Sørensen (1963–66) · Jessen (1967–70) · Kramer (1971–73) · Larsen (1973) · Olsen (1974–75) · Strain (1975–78) · F.W. Sørensen (1979–80) · Poulsen (1981–82) · Larsen (1983–86) · Månsson (1986–87) · Poulsen (1987–89) · Mørk (1990–93) · Wind & Bøje (1993) · Thomsen (1994–96) · Kristiansen (1996–98) · Petersen (1998–2001) · Mørk (2001–2003) · Skovdahl (2003–05) · Theil (2005–09) · Andersen (2009–)

v • d • e Denmark national football team – Managers Williams (1908–10) · Byrval (1913–15) · Byrval (1917–18) · Carr (1920) · Magner (1939) · S. Nielsen (1940) · Butler (1946) · Bjerregaard & Bøje (1948) · Mountford (1948) · Bjerregaard (1952) · Young (1956) · Szendrődi (1956) · Sørensen (1956–61) · Petersen (1962–66) · E. Hansen & Netuka (1967) · E. Hansen & From (1968–69) · J. Hansen & From (1968–69) · Strittich (1970–75) · K. Nielsen (1976–79) · Piontek (1979–90) · R. Nielsen (1990–96) · Johansson (1996–2000) · Olsen (2000–)